MINSK—The mutinous head of Russia’s Wagner group is no longer in Belarus and it is not clear if his fighters will move there, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday. Mr. Lukashenko said on June 27 that Yevgeny Prigozhin had arrived in Belarus as part of the deal that defused the crisis, which had seen…

Russian President Vladimir Putin planned to kill mutinous Wagner fighters marching on Moscow before being talked down, according to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. It is unclear how Putin planned to carry out his plan, but Lukashenko said during a June 27 meeting with military officials that the decision had been made to kill all the…

MOSCOW—Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he persuaded Russian President Vladimir Putin not to “wipe out” mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, in response to what the Kremlin cast as a mutiny. Putin initially vowed to crush the mutiny, comparing it to the wartime turmoil that ushered in the revolution of 1917 and then a civil war, but…

President Joe Biden warned this week that the threat of Russian President Vladimir Putin using tactical nuclear weapons is “real,” days after Moscow announced that the first warheads have arrived in Belarus amid international condemnation of the move. “When I was out here about two years ago saying I worried about the Colorado River drying…

LONDON—Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday that Russian tactical nuclear weapons would be physically deployed on the territory of Belarus “in several days” and that he had the facilities to host longer-range missiles too if ever needed. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia, which will retain control of the tactical nuclear…

President Alexander Lukashenko said on Friday that Russia, which has already decided to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, could if necessary put intercontinental nuclear missiles there too. In an annual address to lawmakers and government officials, Lukashenko said Moscow’s plans to station nuclear arms on the territory of its close ally would help protect…

Belarus’ leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka said on Friday it is “absolutely possible” that troops at the Polish-Belarusian border have helped illegal immigrants into the European Union (EU), according to reports. In an exclusive interview with the BBC, the authoritarian leader said that Belarusian troops know illegal immigrants are trying to reach Germany, adding that “maybe someone helped…

PARIS—France says that its ambassador to Belarus has been ordered out of the country. In a communique Monday, France’s Foreign Minister said that Ambassador Nicolas de Lacoste’s departure on Sunday was due to the “unilateral decision” of Belarusian authorities. Local media say the move to kick the ambassador out is linked to fallout over the…

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko announced Wednesday the Eastern European country will soon receive a large consignment of Russian-made weapons and hardware. The authoritarian leader told reporters during a press briefing on Sept. 1 the batch will include dozens of fighter jets, helicopters, and defense systems—likely the S-400 air defense systems, Belta news agency reported. “I…

The United States formally banned air travel to Belarus on July 6 in response to the diversion of a flight a subsequent arrest by the regime in Minsk of an opposition journalist. The Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a final order (pdf) on Tuesday prohibiting U.S. and foreign air carriers from selling tickets to Belarus…